Reality dance competition series “So You Think You Can Dance” has been renewed for Season 18 at Fox.
The show will return on March 4, 2024 with an all-new documentary style format along with new judges Alison Holker and Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Holker was formerly a contestant on the series, and was married to the late Stephen “tWitch” Boss, who was himself a contestant and judge on the series.
The new pair will join judge Nigel Lythgoe, also the show’s creator and executive producer. Television presenter and actor Cat Deeley returns as host.
Also joining as judge for the auditions round is “So You Think You Can Dance” All-Star Comfort Fedoke, currently an associate choreographer on the “Wicked” film. Showrunner Daniel Martin serves as executive producer along with Lythgoe, Barry Adelman, Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman, with Deeley as producer.
“’So You Think You Can Dance’is television’s preeminent dance competition, and we are thrilled to bring the beloved show back for an all-new season,” said Allison Wallach, Fox Entertainment’s president of unscripted programming. “Reuniting Cat, Nigel, Allison and Comfort and, welcoming Maksim into theSYTYCDfamily, is sure to make Season 18 bigger than ever for their legions of fans around the globe.”
Season 18’s new format involves documentary-style storytelling, which will bring in the contestants’ personal lives into the series. Previously, audiences only knew the contestants from their dance performances. Now, they will get the full picture of the behind-the-scenes dynamics as the camera delves into the cast’s “daily struggles, new relationships, personality clashes and more,” as per the press release.
From Dick Clark Productions and Sony Pictures Television’s 19 Entertainment, the new season will again feature weekly dance challenges that are intended to simulate the realities of a successful dance career. Challenges include performing in a football halftime show, competing against a Broadway performer and starring in a music video.